Sen. Edward Markey and Sen. Richard Blumenthal display a photo of a plastic gun, on Capitol Hill in Washington (Matthew Daly/AP/Shutterstock)
On June 29th, a settlement between the Justice Department and Defense Distributed, the organization responsible for the creation and proliferation of 3-D gun files and manuals online, effectively legalized the unlimited distribution of these files. Lawmakers and Attorneys General across the country are now scrambling to block these files from being distributed before an August 1st deadline, when Cody Wilson, the head of Defense Distributed, said he would upload many more files[1], including instructions for making an AR-15 style rifle.
On Monday, 20 state Attorneys Generals announced they are suing the State Department and Defense Distributed[2], and asking for an immediate restraining order to prevent the company from distributing these files. The lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood argues that the settlement violates the Constitution's Tenth Amendment by infringing on states’ rights to regulate firearms, and that it violates the Administrative Procedure Act.
"It is, simply, crazy to give criminals the tools to build untraceable, undetectable 3-D printed guns at the touch of a button. Yet that's exactly what the Trump administration is allowing,” said Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood in a statement. “We won't stand by as New Yorkers’ safety is jeopardized by this abrupt about-face by the federal government.”
Today, Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a cease and desist letter[3] to Defense Distributed, and directed State Police "to issue a notice [4]reminding New Yorkers that manufacturing assault weapons—including with 3D printers—is illegal in New York."
In New
